Summer Migration, Wednesday, July 23

[Ted Floyd]

Hello, Birders.

Once upon a time, birders thought there were two migrations: spring and fall. We in Colorado now appreciate that there are three: spring, summer, and fall.

Yesterday, Wednesday, July 23rd, summer migration was in full swing in Lafayette, eastern Boulder County. Although I did not leave my yard for birding, I couldn't help but notice migrants throughout the day.

First up was a Solitary Sandpiper migrating over at 3:26 a.m. Then came a Chipping Sparrow, followed by a Sora. Here's a cut of the Chipping Sparrow followed by the Sora:

https://soundcloud.com/ted-floyd/lafayette-birds

Warning: Both calls are quite faint. It was a clear night (I could see the Milky Way), and the birds were migrating over at high altitudes. If you can hear them both (sparrow at ~1 sec., Sora at ~3 sec.), congratulations--you have good hearing.

A few more Chipping Sparrows followed, but the real action was an "onward migration" during the daylight hours of eastbound Chipping Sparrows. I heard at least two dozen.

A bit after sunrise, a MacGillivray's Warbler visited the back yard. They don't breed here.

Also, I saw and heard a Broad-tailed Hummingbird fly over, and I heard one or two Pine Siskins fly over. Neither species breeds, as far as I know, in Lafayette.

The Chipping Sparrow flight continued last night (i.e., this morning), too, as I heard several overflying Lafayette before astronomical dawn. Also, another Sora. Oh, and speaking of Soras, Scott Severs recently told me he heard one flying over a few nights ago.

Summer migration...those words don't roll of the tip of the tongue like "spring migration" or "fall migration," but the phenomenon of summer migration is very real, and so exciting. And it's playing out in our towns and neighborhoods right now. Go out there, and see for yourself!

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

[The "Nunn Guy"]

Hi Ted

How do you go about listening to the migrating birds at night?

• By ear?
• Have electronic surveillance equipment?
• Parabolic microphone?

Curious as to technique ... living in rural Nunn I suppose I am in optimal region for listening ... no civilization around.

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn

http://coloradobirder.ning.com

Mobile:  http://coloradobirder.ning.com/m

[Ted Floyd]

Hi, Gary. Here's an intro, from the journal Colorado Birds:

http://cfobirds.org/downloads/journal/Birding_on_the_Dark_Side.pdf

As to gear, here's a primer:

http://blog.aba.org/2014/07/how-to-record-birdsong-1.html

(Note: All the recordings on that online primer are from Colorado.)

Thanks for your interest!

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

P.s. Good Chipping Sparrow flight over Lafayette, eastern Boulder County, the past three hours (2:30-5:30) this morning, Saturday, July 26th. Am hearing a bunch of them right now, in fact, coming in for a landing.

[Paul Hurtado]

Gary et al,

Another excellent resource for observing night migrants is Bill Evans' website http://oldbird.org

You can hear a lot with a low cost "duct tape and bailing wire"  microphone setup. I use my shotgun microphone and recording equipment like the audio equivalent of binoculars or a spotting scope :-)

Good birding,
Paul Hurtado

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